Interchangeable wrench or other tool holder



Dec. 6, 1927. 1,651,362

' J. R. AYOTTE INTERCHANGEABLE WRENCH OR OTHER TOOL HOLDER Filed Sept.18, 1923 Ill lllllllllllll p zltlie invention.

Patented Dec. 6, 1927.

VVPATENT" OFFICE,

' JOSEPH RENE AYOTTE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

INTERCHANGEAIBLE WRENCH DIR/OTHER TOOL HOLDER.

. Application filed September 18, i923. Serial No. 663,357.

This invention relates to wrenches or tool holders in 1 general, butmore particularly to thosewhich are adaptedto be extended,,by the'use ofauxiliary socket pieces, in order to fit bolts or nuts of differentsizes or for other purposesi r a Generally stated, theob1ectof theinvention is to provide a novel andjlmproved form 'offspring'coupling bywhich to connect a I socket piece or other tool to the tool holder,"

softhat the wrench socketor other device may beeasily' detached, butwhereby it Will besecurely held in place for use.

It isalso an object to provide certaindetails and features ofconstruction and combinations tending to increase the general elliciencyand desirability of a wrench or other tool holder of this,particularcharacter.

' To these and other useful endsthe invention consists in mattershereinafter set forth ing drawings in wh1ch I v v Figure 1 is a sideelevation of a wrench or tool holder embodying the principles of andclaimed and shown in the'accompany- Figure 2 is a vertical section ofthe tool holder, showing a portion of the transverse handle rod in placefor rotation of. the wrench oroth ertool.

Figure 3 is a transverse section on line 3-3 in Figure 2. V e V F igure4is a side'elevation of a Wrench 7 socketfor insertion in the lower endof the tool holder shown in Figures 1 and 2.

Figure 5 is aside elevation, partly 1n section, with certain portionsbroken away for convenience of illustration, of an extension socket forinsertion in the lower end of the tool holder shown in Figures 1' and 2,there- 4o to in effect lengthen thetool holder for e convenientoperation. I I Figure 6 is a plan of the sheet metal blank from whichthe spring shown in Figures 2 and 5 is made.

v Figure 7 is a bottom view o f-said blank after the pro ections thereofhave been bent into the desired shape; V V g 1 Figure 8 is a sideelevationof the completedspring shown in Figure 7. v

opposite direction.

As thus illustrated, the invention com prises a tool holder having asocket piece 1 the interior of which is polygonal at 2 to,fit' the nutor bolt head, or to fit the extension shown in Figure at orthe extensionshown in Figure ,5, so that the tool holder may in effect be lengthenedwhen necessary, The socket piece 1 has its interior provided with thespring shown in Figures 7 and 8, comprising bent end portions 3 forengagement with-the circumferential groove 1 on them) socket piece orextensionshown in Figure 4, or the similar groove d'shown in Figure 5 ofthe drawings. The spring is secured in place by a screw 5 which isinserted up- I \vardly in the socket piece -1,'so that the'05 spring canbe removed when necessary. The portions ,3 are normally, of course, outof en gagement with the sides, of the socket piece, for clearance asshown is formed around the sprmgmeans above the polygonal:port1on2,vthus permitt ng the portions '3 to be pushed outward toward the sidesof the socket. A double ratchet member 6 is interposed between thesocket piece 1 and the body member 7 of the toolholder, and 7 theshifting sleeve 8 is mounted to slide up and down thereon, it beingobserved that the ratchet member 6 and the portions immediately aboveand below are polygonal, said sleeve being made correspondinglypolygonal inside to fit thereon. Consequently when the sleeve is down asshown in Figure 2 the member 6 and the socket piece 1 arelocked togetherand the top ratchet will, be operavtive by oscillation of'the handle 9'to intermittently rotate the socket piece 1 in one direction; butwhenthe sleeve 8 is raised,

as shown in Figure 1, then the member .6 and the body portion 7 arelocked together, and the lower ratchet willbeoperative to intermittentlyrotate the socket piece 1 in the The socket piece 1 has a stem 10 whichcarries a coil, spring 11, and the washer 12 is held at the upper end ofthis stem by a pin 13, so that said spring is compressed between thiswasher and the shoulder 14 formed on the interior of the body portion'Tofthe tool holder. However, said spring is adapted to yield when theratchet teeth slide backward over each other,

in a manner that will be readily understood. An opening lel is pri1vided at each side ol the tool holder :tor the insertion and removalof the pin 13, and a spring pressed. member 15 is provided to lrictionally hold the hendle rod 9 in position for (nieration, which rodcan be withdrawn when "it is desired to pack the tool holder in a box.It will also be seen that the upper portion of the tool holder providedwith a polygonal end portion 16, and above this with a groove 1? likethe groove '5 previously mentioiiedr Thus a detachable socket piece likethe one shown at the bottom of Figure 5, or like the one shown in Figure4-, can he slipped over the upper end of the toolholder, above the rod9, to connect any necessary or desired. device to the upper end of thetool holder. The polygonal portions 1'8 shown in Fig ores l and a areadapted to iii the polygonal portion .2 oi? the tool holder socket, andthe springs 3 hold the socket piece or onion-- sion in position forrotation by the ratchet; but a forcible pull on the extension or socketwill easily detach it from the springs, when such is necessary ordesirable. The socket )ieccs can have polygonal sockets ofdillerentsizes, to fit bolts or outs of ditli'erent sizes, veryobviously, and the extension can be of dill'erent engths so that thetool holder as n whohii can in ellect he lengthened in the desiredmanner. While WI'tIlUll sockets are shown, it is obvious that thepolygonal portions 2 and 18 and the springs 3 and the grooves *ll: canbe used as the coupling means for coupling any snitable tool orextension to the tool holder. The beveled edge portions 19 are formed tostrike the lower ends of the springs 3 and crowd them outward, so thattheir lower end portions will then snap into the groove l; and it willalso be seen that a similar beveled edge portion 20 is provided for asimilar purpose at the top of the tool holder.

\Vhat I claim as my invention is-- 1. In a wrench or tool holder, thecombination of a socket piece having inner cylindrical sides, means forrotating said socket piece, a sheet inetal spring having integral andinwardly lacing engaging portions radially disposed in said socket piecspaced equidistant at more than two points on a circle struck from theaxis oi. said HOClTOlZ piece, normally out of engagcn'ient with and adistance from the inner Sit of the socket piece, with cl airance in thesocket between the inner cylindrical sides thereof and the outer sidesof said engaging pmtions, to permit, outward radial movement of saidengaging portions, a tool or extension for insertion in said socketpiece, means comprising a single axial screw to hold said springportions in operative position, said tool or extension having anexternal groove to be engagml by said spring engaging portions,

and said tool or extension and socket piece being relatiwel formed toprevent relative rotation between them, providing a rcin rictedpolygonal opening below said cyliinlricai sides, whereby rotation oi.the

socket piece will rotate the tool or exten-i spaced equidistant at morethan two oints i on a circle struck from the axiso said socket piece,normally out of engagement with and a. distance from thelnner sides ofthe socket piece, with clearance in thesocket between the innercylindrical sides thereof and the enter sides of said engaging portions,to permit outward radial movement of said enoaging portions, a tool orextension l'or inset tion in said socket piece, means coinprising asingle axial screw to hold said spring portions in o Jcrativeposition,said tool or extension having an external groove to he engagedby said spring engaging portions, and said tool or extension and socketpiece being relatively formed to prevent in relative rotation betweenthem, providing a restricted polygonal opening below said cylindricalsides, whereby rotation of "the socket piece will rotate the tool orextensien, said spring m ans being removable readily from said socket,said tool having its enter end formed with a socket containi inga springsiini.larto the one in said socket piece, so that another tool can beinserted U] the extension thus provided.

3.111 a wrench or tool holder, the combination oi? a socket; piecehaving inner oylindrical. sides, means for rotating said socket p ece, asheet metal spring'having integral and inwardly facing enga lng porctpiece,

tions radially disposed in said soc spaced equidistant at more than twopoints on a circle struck from the axis of said socket piece, normallyout/of engagement with and a distance from the'innersides of the socketpiece, with clearance in the socket hetween the inner cylindrical sidesthereof and the outer sides oi? said engaging pori tions, to permitoutwardradial movementof said engaging portions, a tool or extension.

tor insertion in said socket piece, means cominasing a single axialscrew to hold said spring portions in operative position, said tool orextension having an externalgroove to be engaged by said spring engagingportions, and said tool or extension and socket piece being relativelyformed to prevent 7 having an upper end portion which 'is relativerotation between them, providing a formed like the portion of said toolwhich restricted polygonal opening below said cyis inserted in saidsocket piece, whereby a 10 lindrical sides, whereby rotation of thesimilar socket piece can be applied to said 5 socket piece will rotatethe tool or extenupper end of the tool holder when necessary sion, saidspring means being removable or desirable.

readily fromsaid socket, said rotating means JOSEPH RENE AYOTTE

